St. Philomena Church on Howe Island will be celebrating its anniversary this year! The events are as follows:

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. There will be a tea in the Parish Hall. The 150th Committee will be organizing historical displays of school and church events and other memorabilia of the Island throughout the hall for viewing.

4:00 p.m. Archbishop O’Brien will be the main celebrant at a Mass in St. Philomena’s Church

5:00 p.m. There will be a social hour with a cash bar. The bar will remain open until 1:00 a.m.

6:00 p.m. A roast beef dinner will be served. (Tickets for this dinner must be bought in advance).

8:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. There will be a dance in the hall. Arthur Lawless (formerly from Howe Island) and his band from Ottawa, Presidents of the World, will be providing the music. Cash bar will be operated under LCBO license.

8:45 p.m. Following the Sunday mass there will be a gathering for coffee and desserts in the hall. This will provide another opportunity to look at the historical material and to visit with friends and family.

Tickets for the Saturday night dinner must be purchased in advance, They are available from Natalie Nossal, who is a parishioner of St. Philomena’s Church. Tickets are $20.00 per adult, and $10.00 per youth (ages 6-12 yrs). Children aged 5 yrs and under are free. Family ticket packages are also available at $50.00 for two adults and their children aged 6-12 yrs. The tickets must be bought in advance of the event. Natalie can be reached at 613-542-1905 or by email at: nossaln@hotmail.com

Everyone is welcome to attend our celebration.

St. Philomena's has been a meeting place for Howe Islanders for almost 150 years. This special interest group - St. Philomena's has been created to provide a place for members of HIRA who are also members of St. Philomena's to post their photos, news and events of general interest to Howe Island residents. Historical information can also be found on 'The Islands' site hosted by Jennifer Hoeltzel  If you wish to be able to post to this area of the site, please contact Gerry Ross or  HIRA and we will provide you with the appropriate permissions to post articles and/or photos. A link will be added to the parish site once it becomes available.